WhatsApp Could Introduce Dedicated Voice Chat Channels for Groups, Something Akin to What Discord Has to Offer

WhatsApp is easily one of the best if not the best instant messaging apps and has been for years now. The app is gradually getting new features that make the overall user experience much better for everyone, and based on the recent report, it appears that there is a new feature that is currently in development that will introduce dedicated voice chat channels for groups. If this sounds familiar, then this is something Discord already offers.

WhatsApp has become a little like Discord with voice chats in groups

The feature was spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.16.19, and the source reports that it is currently rolling out. However, it is important to know that the feature might not be available for everyone, so if you have not received it, you are going to have to wait for a couple of days before the feature rolls out to more users.

As you can see in the screenshot above, once you are in a WhatsApp group where the voice channel is active, you can see a waveform icon on the top, and you can simply tap Connect and join the rest of the participants. You can even start your own if you are willing to do so. The source reports that there are no restrictions as to who can join the chat as long as they are members of the group.

Another thing that the source has mentioned is that in order to enable this feature, you are going to need to have a group with more than 32 participants, but only 32 will actually be allowed in the voice chat. I have tested this on my WhatsApp, and it is true because the group with 26 members does not have the option available, whereas the group with 55 members does have this option. However, this could change in the future.

The source does reveal that the feature is rolling out to WhatsApp beta testers, and considering how I have the feature, too, I would not be surprised if more users get the feature in the coming days. Honestly, this actually is a pretty nice feature that will let you just join a group voice chat without any issues, and no one will be disturbed by it either since it only leaves a notification rather than making the phone ring.

WhatsApp is also working on a number of other features that will be rolling out to everyone in the near future. Some features would come out to everyone while others might be scraped entirely. But we will keep you posted about what we learn.

Written by Furqan Shahid